Inauguration Day鈥檚 range of emotions
Inauguration Day, every four years, is like no other in the U.S. capital. Even in the winter chill, the crowds on the National Mall can number in the hundreds of thousands 鈥� or more. Anticipation is in the air. People from all over have come to witness the launch of a new presidential term, promptly at noon on Jan. 20.
I鈥檝e seen my share of inaugurations over the years, sometimes from the viewing stands right below the Capitol Building, sometimes from the fringes of the Mall, sometimes on TV. It鈥檚 always exciting, especially when a new party takes over and a hallmark of American democracy goes on full display: the peaceful transfer of power.
Often, the most memorable aspect of an inauguration isn鈥檛 the actual swearing-in or the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue or the celebratory balls. When Donald Trump took office the first time, in January 2017, he delivered an inaugural address that veered into dark territory, as he spoke of 鈥淎merican carnage鈥� 鈥� a sharp departure from the usual unifying rhetoric.
The next day, press secretary Sean Spicer insisted that President Trump鈥檚 crowd on the Mall was 鈥渢he largest audience to ever witness the inauguration, period鈥� 鈥� bigger than the million-plus people who had gathered for President Barack Obama鈥檚 first inauguration eight years earlier.
Mr. Spicer鈥檚 statement was demonstrably false, as photo comparisons showed. That episode also gave birth to Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway鈥檚 infamous assertion of 鈥渁lternative facts鈥� that she said would prove the spokesman correct. Months later, after Mr. Spicer had resigned, he expressed regret over his handling of the matter.
Now, on the cusp of Trump 2.0, the nation is once again experiencing a range of emotions 鈥� from excitement to dread. Trump supporters will come to Washington for an inauguration-eve rally in the city鈥檚 biggest sports arena, and then crowd the Mall the next day. Will anti-Trump forces show up to counter them? It鈥檚 unclear. But security will be extra tight. In any case, many dispirited Trump opponents plan to be out of town that day. There鈥檚 also no plan for a big women鈥檚 march the day after Mr. Trump鈥檚 second inauguration, as there was after the first.
Jan. 20 is also a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, honoring the slain civil rights leader. It鈥檚 a coincidence that presents its own ironies. Mr. Trump made gains among Black voters last November, particularly men, but the vast majority still voted Democratic.
Still, the most remarkable aspect of Inauguration Day 2025 is that it features Mr. Trump, again. He鈥檚 just the second American president in history, after Grover Cleveland in 1892, to score another term after losing his first reelection attempt. As I explore in my cover story in the Jan. 20 issue of 海角大神 Weekly, the Trump era is far from over. 鈥淭rump, unfinished鈥� is an apt way of putting it.
